Tuning pegs have been used in stringed instruments for hundreds of years. Traditionally, tuning pegs comprise a tapered piece of wood that is in frictional engagement with a tapered hole in the peg box of the stringed instrument. The string is secured at one end to the instrument and at the opposing end to the peg. Rotating the peg changes the tension on the string.
In order to maintain string tension, friction between the hole and the peg is necessary; however, the friction also creates difficulty in tuning the instrument because it must be overcome to change tension. For the larger strings that produce lower musical notes especially, accurate tuning can be difficult and time consuming.
In order to tune a stringed instrument, sufficient torque must be applied to overcome not only the friction between the hole and peg but also the friction of the string at the nut. In applying such torque, it is easy to turn the peg too far thereby requiring repeated attempts in tuning the string to the desired pitch; clearly, fine tuning a stringed instrument is a painstaking task. Moreover, exerting fine motor control with strength to tune the instrument is difficult for young students. In most cases, the teacher must spend considerable time in class tuning instruments for the students since they have difficulty tuning the instruments accurately by themselves.
Previous attempts to improve the tuning peg have been unsatisfactory. These pegs are often complex devices with numerous parts. One attempt at solving this problem, for example, was a six-piece tuning peg with a member fixed in a peg box hole and having a screw extending from the head through the member for creating the clamping force to maintain string tension; thus, to tune the instrument, the screw must be loosened. These pegs have not overcome the difficulty of accurately tuning large strings. Moreover, these pegs require musicians to carry screwdrivers if they want to tune their instruments or replace their strings. Therefore, there is a need for a tuning peg that facilitates the tuning of stringed instruments by reducing the torque required to turn the peg, especially a device that can be back-fitted to existing instruments having traditional pegs.